ABS Announces 7 New Incoming Directors

May 20, 2013 Media Contact: Christine Shiffer, 215-568-4000

The American Board of Surgery (ABS), the national certifying body for general surgeons and related specialists, is pleased to announce seven new directors from the following nominating organizations. They will join the board as of July 1, 2013, and each serve a six-year term.

Roxie M. Albrecht, M.D. – Southwestern Surgical Congress
Dr. Albrecht is medical director of trauma and surgical critical care at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She is also vice chair and professor of surgery at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Dr. Albrecht completed medical school at the University of Iowa and residency at Michigan State University. She also completed a surgical critical care fellowship at the University of Miami. In addition, Dr. Albrecht currently serves as region chief and trauma center site reviewer for the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Committee on Trauma, as well as state councilor for the Southwestern Surgical Congress.

Mark S. Allen, M.D. – American Board of Thoracic Surgery
Dr. Allen is chair of the division of general thoracic surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He also serves as professor of surgery at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. Dr. Allen completed medical school at the Hahnemann School of Medicine and residency at Massachusetts General Hospital. He additionally serves as first vice president of the Society of Thoracic Surgery, on the board of the Joint Council on Thoracic Surgery Education, and on the executive committee of the General Thoracic Surgical Club.

William C. Chapman, M.D. – American Surgical Association
Dr. Chapman is the Eugene M. Bricker Chair of Surgery and chief of the division of general surgery at Washington University in St. Louis. He also serves as professor and chief of the section of abdominal transplantation at Washington University School of Medicine and surgical director of the Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Transplant Center. Dr. Chapman completed medical school at the Medical University of South Carolina and residency at Vanderbilt University. He also completed a fellowship in hepatobiliary surgery and liver transplantation at Kings College Hospital in London, England. In addition, Dr. Chapman currently serves as president of the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association.

Dai H. Chung, M.D. – Society of University Surgeons
Dr. Chung is chairman of the department of pediatric surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. He also serves as professor of pediatric surgery and cancer biology, as well as director of the pediatric surgery residency program. Dr. Chung completed medical school and residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch - Galveston; he also completed a fellowship in pediatric surgery at the University of Cincinnati. In addition, Dr. Chung is a past president of the Society of University Surgeons (SUS) and currently serves as president of the SUS Foundation.

Vivian Gahtan, M.D. – Society for Vascular Surgery
Dr. Gahtan is chief of the division of vascular surgery and endovascular services at the State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York. She also serves as the Lloyd S. Rogers Professor of Surgery and vice chair of academic affairs. Dr. Gahtan in addition is lead physician for vascular surgery at the Syracuse VA Medical Center. She completed medical school at George Washington University and residency at the University of South Florida, where she also completed a fellowship in vascular surgery. Dr. Gahtan additionally completed an endovascular fellowship at New York Presbyterian Hospital. A member of the Vascular Surgery Board of the ABS (VSB-ABS) since 2009, she is also immediate past president of the Eastern Vascular Society.

K. Craig Kent, M.D. – American Surgical Association
Dr. Kent is chairman of the department of surgery at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, Wisconsin, as well as the A.R. Curreri Professor of Surgery. He completed medical school and residency at the University of California - San Francisco and a fellowship in vascular surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Dr. Kent also completed an endovascular fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic. A member of the VSB-ABS since 2008, Dr. Kent is a past president of the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) and the current secretary-treasurer for the Society of Surgical Chairs.

Anne G. Rizzo, M.D. – At-Large
Dr. Rizzo is a trauma and critical care surgeon at Inova Fairfax Hospital, a large community hospital in Falls Church, Virginia. She also serves as vice chairman for research and assistant surgical residency program director. Dr. Rizzo is also an assistant professor of surgery at Virginia Commonwealth University and Howard University, as well as associate professor of surgery at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. She completed medical school at SUNY Buffalo and residency at Tulane University. She also completed a fellowship in trauma and surgical critical care at Washington Hospital Center and currently serves as regional faculty for the ACS' Advanced Trauma Life Support course. In addition, Dr. Rizzo is a member of the Air Force Reserve and has served several times in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The ABS established three at-large director positions in 2005 to identify exceptional individuals who are reflective of the broad U.S. surgical community. Dr. Rizzo was selected as an at-large director out of 77 candidates drawn from an open nomination process. She will replace Dr. Cogbill, with a remaining at-large position to be filled next year. At-large directors have the same term and responsibilities as all other ABS directors.

New Component Board Members

In addition, the ABS will welcome as new members Dr. Erica L. Mitchell and Dr. Daniel G. Clair to the VSB-ABS, both representing the SVS; Dr. Frederick J. Rescorla (ACS Advisory Council for Pediatric Surgery) and Dr. John H. T. Waldhausen (American Pediatric Surgical Association) to the Pediatric Surgery Board; Dr. Peter D. Beitsch (American Society of Breast Surgeons) and Dr. Michael A. Choti (AHPBA) to the Surgical Oncology Board; and Dr. David A. Spain (Surgical Critical Care Program Directors Society) to the Trauma, Burns and Critical Care Board.

About the ABS

The American Board of Surgery is an independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1937 for the purpose of certifying individuals who have met a defined standard of education, training and knowledge in the field of surgery. Surgeons certified by the ABS, known as diplomates, have completed at least five years of surgical training following medical school and successfully completed a written and oral examination process administered by the ABS. They must then maintain their certification through ongoing learning and practice improvement activities.
The ABS offers board certification in general surgery, vascular surgery, pediatric surgery, surgical critical care, surgery of the hand, hospice and palliative medicine, and complex general surgical oncology. It is one of the 24 member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties.